Analog meters deceased. Substitute strategy, sorta.

[Kaymoo]

Do you have any SB-220 plate meters left?

Hello, any plate current meters ready to go yet? How about the other meter?

 

[nomadradio]

So there's this recurring issue with projects that encounter an unpredicted bump. In this case, a white scale background I can laser print onto that's flat and bright enough, both. Don't want glare from a shiny surface.

Tried more than one kind of paper. Looks like I should settle for the "bright" office paper. Using expensive plastic sheets seems wasteful, since the program that prints the scale can only produce one image per sheet.

Really ought to pull out the project box and see how many are actually ready to ship.

The plate meter connects to a slightly-different spot from the factory meter. The grid meter reads only grid current. It doesn't connect to the 3-position meter switch, but wires directly to the factory meter/HV board.

I'll make a point of it this week.

73

 

[Kaymoo]

So there's this recurring issue with projects that encounter an unpredicted bump. In this case, a white scale background I can laser print onto that's flat and bright enough, both. Don't want glare from a shiny surface.

Tried more than one kind of paper. Looks like I should settle for the "bright" office paper. Using expensive plastic sheets seems wasteful, since the program that prints the scale can only produce one image per sheet.

Really ought to pull out the project box and see how many are actually ready to ship.

The plate meter connects to a slightly-different spot from the factory meter. The grid meter reads only grid current. It doesn't connect to the 3-position meter switch, but wires directly to the factory meter/HV board.

I'll make a point of it this week.

73

Okay. Let me know when you work it out. I'm interested only in the plate current meter at this time. Thanks and 73!

 

[Kaymoo]

Any progress?

 

[nomadradio]

Yeah! Found the box they gotten hidden in. Been out sick off and on since the beginning of the year. Things got stuffed into corners and forgot. I'll sort through what we have now that I can put my hands on it.

73

 

[linearone]

So there's this recurring issue with projects that encounter an unpredicted bump. In this case, a white scale background I can laser print onto that's flat and bright enough, both. Don't want glare from a shiny surface.

Tried more than one kind of paper. Looks like I should settle for the "bright" office paper. Using expensive plastic sheets seems wasteful, since the program that prints the scale can only produce one image per sheet.

Really ought to pull out the project box and see how many are actually ready to ship.

The plate meter connects to a slightly-different spot from the factory meter. The grid meter reads only grid current. It doesn't connect to the 3-position meter switch, but wires directly to the factory meter/HV board.

I'll make a point of it this week.

73

Use business card stock.

 

[nomadradio]

Use business card stock.

Now why didn't I think of that?

73

 

[nomadradio]

So here are the developmental guinea pigs on hand. There was a black plastic cover that snapped over the lower third of the meter, but turns out not to be for sale anywhere I can find. One of these meters was spray painted black on the outside, the other one on the inside. Neither one looks all that sexy to me. Thought about contriving a 3D-printed one to snap on like the original, but that's too much like swimming upstream. Had some black vinyl electrical tape with a satin finish that looked okay. These two got black spray paint on the lower part. One on the outside, the other on the inside. Not so slick. Shoulda used flat black on the outside.

I can change the lens on the plate meter if you wish.

This is the only Plate meter fully set up and tested at the moment. Ugly-duckling price if you want it is fifty bucks, I pay the ride. Once I make it a bit prettier the price will rise.

We can do PayPal, or a money order. I'm just paranoid enough to accept a credit card only if I can slide it into the card terminal.

Please advise your preference.

73

 

[linearone]

I would take a trip to a vinyl shop, they have all types of textured vinyls that you could just cut a piece and wrap the bottom of the meter in, also, a more readily available solution, would be something called gaffer's tape. You can buy in wide widths on Amazon and it looks fantastic. Fantastic. It's got a nice black matte look that's not reflective and it has a vintage. You look almost like the type of textured vinyl that you saw on old radio equipment or guitar amplifiers

 

[Kaymoo]

So here are the developmental guinea pigs on hand. There was a black plastic cover that snapped over the lower third of the meter, but turns out not to be for sale anywhere I can find. One of these meters was spray painted black on the outside, the other one on the inside. Neither one looks all that sexy to me. Thought about contriving a 3D-printed one to snap on like the original, but that's too much like swimming upstream. Had some black vinyl electrical tape with a satin finish that looked okay. These two got black spray paint on the lower part. One on the outside, the other on the inside. Not so slick. Shoulda used flat black on the outside.

I can change the lens on the plate meter if you wish.

This is the only Plate meter fully set up and tested at the moment. Ugly-duckling price if you want it is fifty bucks, I pay the ride. Once I make it a bit prettier the price will rise.

We can do PayPal, or a money order. I'm just paranoid enough to accept a credit card only if I can slide it into the card terminal.

Please advise your preference.

73

 

[Kaymoo]

Are these meters otherwise transparent on bottom? I need a working meter, transparent, black, doesn't matter. $50?

 

[nomadradio]

Your choice of the two windows. As we got them, the entire face is transparent. A factory-complete meter would have a wrap-around black ABS skirt that snapped in place, with a hole for the zero-set screw.

Never could find a separate part number for that snap-on skirt, or anyone who would supply a hundred of them.

Gotta check out the vinyl option. Probably the least-lame of all my choices.

You could do a "start conversation" by clicking first on my avatar and send me the email addy you use for PayPal. I'll send a money request once I have that.

73

 

[linearone]

Your choice of the two windows. As we got them, the entire face is transparent. A factory-complete meter would have a wrap-around black ABS skirt that snapped in place, with a hole for the zero-set screw.

Never could find a separate part number for that snap-on skirt, or anyone who would supply a hundred of them.

Gotta check out the vinyl option. Probably the least-lame of all my choices.

You could do a "start conversation" by clicking first on my avatar and send me the email addy you use for PayPal. I'll send a money request once I have that.

73

Yeah, this sounds like a good project for 3D printing

 

[klikmaus]

I need an SB-221 plate ampere meter. Please email me with price and info
Klikmaus@gmail.com

 

[nomadradio]

Is the first letter of your email addy supposed to be capitalized?

Seemed odd, but I copied/pasted it to prevent typos. If that first letter isn't supposed to be a capital letter, you may not get the reply I sent.

73